Tillamook Rainforest
Abiotic Factors
Temperature: 5 – 20 degrees Celsius
Precipitation:
Average: 80 – 200 cm per year; rain, snow, fog.
Elevation:
50 - 600 meters above sea level
Low Decomposition Rate
- Fertile Soil
- Autotrophs
Invasive Species
Native Species
- Invasive species such as Himalayan Blackberry are a major threat to the wildlife in Tillamook Rainforest.
- They are depleting resources that are already becoming scarcer.
- By displacing any native plant, these species create a gap in the food web.
Tillamook Rainforest hosts more than 300 different Plant and Animal Species
Image from:
http://crawford.tardigrade.net/journal/album/baldsunrubus.jpg
Douglas Fir
Clouded Salamander
Coho
Sitka Deer
Black Bear
Racoon
Dusky Tree Vole
Spotted Owl
Bald Eagle
Psuedotsuga menziesii
Aneides ferrus
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Odocoilus hemionus sitkensis
Ursus americanus
Procyon lotor
Arborimus
Strix occidentalis
Haliaeetus leucocenphalus
http://www.californiaherps.com/salamanders/pages/a.ferreus.html
English Ivy
http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/Data/RedTreeVole/
Oregon Temperate Rainforest
Hetera Helix
- Latin name:
- Originated in England, brought to US as a decorative plant, then took over.
- Grows on ground and on trees.
- Climbs towards the sun, blocking the light from the tree it grows on.
- Eventually kill the tree completely.
- Vast colonies on the ground are harbor to Leaf Scorch, a bacteria that kills native plants.
- A common target for volunteer work.
Image from: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm
By: Vincent Miller, Eric Wang, and Adele English
English Ivy
Black Rat
Rattus rattus
"logging, fire, and urban and agricultural development is the greatest threat to Tillamook and North Coast species"
This is an age-old issue but has gained more momentum in the 21st century with the news
- Latin name:
- Native to Asia, came to Europe on exporation vessels, then came to US on German ships around 1775
- Can have up to 60 offspring in a single year.
- Eat bird eggs, reducing these populations.
- Carry many dangerous diseases, which can be spread through fleas as well as direct contact.
- Eradicated by mass-pesticide, or captured and tracked
Timber Industries manage their land with a rotational system to preserve tree population but use little consideration towards wildlife
Forests have been reduces to 1% of historical levels
Works Cited:
206 species of concern have been identified in Tillamook State Forest
Image from: http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fsbdev3_043380.jpg
Interesting side fact: About 55% of the earth's temperate rainforest has been destroyed, making these forests even more rare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumber
Books:
- Boersma, P. D., Sarah H. Reichard, and Buren A. N. Van. Invasive Species in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle, WA: University of Washington, 2006. Print.
- Kozloff, Eugene N. Plants and Animals of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Guide to the Natural History of Western Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. University of Washington, 1976. Print.
Web sites:
- http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm
- http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/temperate-rain-forests.htm
- http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/papers/TillamookReport.pdf
- http://www.tillamookbaywatershedcouncil.net/
- http://www.ehow.com/info_8735800_temperate-rainforest.html
- http://jcwc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/City-of-Portland-Invasive-Animal-List.pdf
- http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/hehe1.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_rat
http://www.marlimillerphoto.com/timber.html
What should we do about this?
- Recycle to lower our dependency on lumber
- Create more protected areas
The Temperate Forest is one of the rarities of the world, we enjoy its beauty on hikes etc. and so we must protect it.
"A thing is right if it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of biotic community." Aldo Leopold